This Should Help Get You Through to the Weekend

Since I happened to get scheduled for a day off today, Joe and I had a whole day to ourselves...which was a rare and wonderful occurrence.  We toyed with a couple of different ideas, but ultimately curiosity got the best of us - we wanted to see what Blitz was looking like in person!  So off to San Jose we went and had a nice lunch before heading over the the breeder's house.  Good news, he gets to come home on May 13th!!  Less than two weeks.  We still have some things to pick up, like food bowls, chew toys, treats...and probably a slew of other stuff.  Anybody have any crating tips they would like to share?  I'm all ears.  I've read a couple books and feel fairly confident what kind of nighttime regime I'm gonna (try to) have, but during the day is a little different story.  We do have a puppy pen and crate in the office, but any other tips/ lessons learned would be very appreciated!  I'm sure most of what we come up with routine-wise will be trial and error...

Isn't he just so stinking cute?!?!  Lots different than a month ago when the eyes had just been opened and he was pretty much a squirmy lump.  Did you know that shepherds come in 3 different coat types?  I didn't either.  There's short, plush, and long haired varieties.  In the beginning, I had originally wanted a Rottie, because I didn't want to deal with long hair.  Joe helped me see the light as to why GS are superior, and I thought I could deal.  When the puppies' coats were coming in, it was determined that one of the males was a long hair, so that really simplified which one was for us, once again, I didn't want the long hair.  This time, when we saw the breeder he said that the other male was turning out to have more of a plush coat, and would that be ok?  We assured him that it would be, because I came up with a solution.  It's called Dyson.  

Just chillaxin' with Joe.  Because he's cool.

Here's Tilda the mom at lunchtime with the pups.   She's a real sweetie.  Poor girlie, puppy teeth are sharp!  Yikes!

For those of you who are really observant, you can kinda see I cut my hair.  I really like it - about 4 inches taken off.  I was inspired awhile ago by Katie Holmes... but it's not quite as short as hers (yet).  It's more like an A-line bob... because of the layers that were already in my hair it's not quite the shape I want it to end up being, but I was impatient to get it cut, so we went for it.  Holly (my hair dresser) will get it  fine tuned a little more next time.   I love her.  She's always game for whatever I decide, and I do go through a lot of things.  Normally I decide to chop my hair off, then regret it and try to grow it out while experimenting with bangs, no bangs, different parts, highlights, different layers...I'm all over the map.  But so far, no regrets.  I love that it has a real shape to it, and blow drying is waaaaay easier.  I guess we shall see.  I'll try to get Joe to take some better pictures of it.

And the closing shot.  We wore him out but good!  I hope that your Wednesday was as fun as mine!  

Thought of the Day

Once Joe got out the door last night I grabbed an ice pack and propped my feet up on the couch with the remote control, and settled in to my weekend.  After the nasty way the week started, it felt really good to sink onto the sofa and feel my body relax.  I turned on the TV, scrolled thru the guide, and found that they were doing back to back showings of these movies.  How could I not watch?

I think I had just started 5th grade when Father of the Bride came out.  And I LOVED IT.  I thought Annie was beautiful and wanted to grow up looking and acting just like her.  I thought the Banks' home was gorgeous.  I thought Annie's wedding was the most fabulous I had ever seen and hoped that one day mine would measure up to it too.  But what I really loved was Annie's relationship with her dad George, played by the hilarious Steve Martin.  They played basketball in their backyard, just like my dad and I.  He was the over-bearing, over protective parent who had trouble with change, just like mine.  Her mom was the one who quietly straightened out everything with extreme amounts of patience, just like mine.  It just so happened that year was my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, so to celebrate, they took us all on a cruise of the Mediterranean.  On the two flights to Spain the movie showed was Father of the Bride.  In the theater on the cruise ship, the movie was Father of the Bride.  On the flights home... you guessed it.  I was in heaven, and due to that frequent viewing, we all had the whole thing pretty much memorized and still quote some of the one liners to each other ("Velcome to the nineties Mr. Bonks!!!", "No, no, I said TWO hundred and fifty a head...").  I think this and Pride & Prejudice are the two movies I get the most flack/teasing about subjecting my family to.

When thirteen years later I was planning my own wedding, I pulled it out and watched it just for kicks.   It was hard to believe that I was as old as Annie and that it was my turn.  I wonder if my Dad felt the same way too.

Sorry, but believe it or not, this is the only wedding pic that I could find on the laptop... the desktop is not up and running yet.  This is me and my mentor Melinda (a bridesmaid) getting hair/makeup done before the wedding.

And seeing it last night make me grin and even tear up a little too (am I becoming like my mother or what?!?) from being on the opposite side of things.  Is it crazy that here I am thinking about how a comedy from the early nineties has been applicable to my life over a span of 17 years?  Because now I see it a little more from the parent's view point.  I've had my turn.  One day, I'll have an Annie.  And it will be her turn to be the bride, and Joe and I will have to let go. Is that schmaltzy or what?  But that's all I've got on a Saturday morning...

Bulging L-5

Lightning pain shoots down.

Ice, walk, ice, lay down, repeat.

My right leg tingles.

Sheesh, it is bad when I have time to think up the ridiculous idea of composing a poorly crafted haiku to express my pain.  Of course this was the worst possible timing for this to have occurred.  If there was ever a day that I NEEDED TO BE AT WORK, it was today.  And my body seems to be rebelling at a very innocuous chore - weed pulling.  That I did LAST THURSDAY.  Are you kidding me?!?!?  I don't know why the delay between the pulling and the pain, but I didn't even know anything was wrong until Saturday evening.  Joe had gone off to work, I was about ready to go to a party for two friends birthdays, and then I made the very poor decision to stand up from the sofa.  And it was all over.  I heard a loud pop and felt a jolt of pain course down my right leg.  It was sharp enough pain to make me holler, and I decided to get off my feet.  Which is pretty much how I stayed up until last night when I was getting no relief and the thought of sitting at a desk chair for 8 hours at work had me nervous.  So I went to Joe's dad (who is a chiropractor) and he worked me over big time which was good, but then the muscle spasms started which he said was not a good sign, because that meant that the nerve was compressed.  I was still keeping a positive attitude because I was hoping that I would magically be healed in the morning and good to go for work.  I was instructed to see him in the morning and he would give me the go ahead... or so I was hoping.

So I go in and hop on the table (or slowly waddle up to it grimacing all the while) and I hear him say, "Oh good, your pelvis stayed in place over night!".  Uhh, no wonder it hurt like the devil if my pelvis was out of place!!!!  So he nixed the idea of work for today because sitting is a big no-no.  I just got back from seeing him again this afternoon for another treatment and this time my pelvis was not so cooperative and did not stay adjusted.  I am really hoping that this all heals itself fast.  Because it is really boring laying down, and I had no idea how much I twist my hips in a day but I get a nice little reminder in the form of a couple zings.  It makes me feel old to be this immobile and I have no idea how people with chronic back problems function through daily life!  What a mess of a Monday...

New Life

I don't think that there's anything as wonderful and exhilarating as holding brand-new-to-the-world baby.  

Chris & Kiyoko at our old apartment pre-baby

Our dear friends Chris and Kiyoko became parents to the beautiful Laney Lillian Young on March 27th.  They called us that morning at 2am to let us know that they were going to the hospital, and when we got the call later that day that she had arrived safe and sound, we hopped in the car and headed down to Monterey to meet her.  We thought that she was a very considerate little girl to be born on a day that Uncle Joe was off and Auntie Kate only worked a half day.  When we got there, they were all asleep so we bummed around Monterey a little while getting Jamba Juice (mmm) and noodling around a book store.  When we went back, we had a great hour visit with the three of them.  I couldn't get over how beautiful Kiyoko looked;  obviously, she looked very tired (12 hour labor!), but...she really did glow.  Or something.  Motherhood definitely added another dimension to her.  

The new and improved Young Family

We can't wait for them to come up here for a visit!!  We are thrilled for them and all the new possibilities that Laney has now brought into their world.

  Friends from the first time she farted in my arms!

Bloggers, Meet Blitz

We're getting a puppy!!  And this is the little dude!

We got to go Thursday night to see the puppies and hopefully try to narrow down which one we wanted.  Obviously, it's hard when a puppy is only 2 and a half weeks old to tell much to differentiate it from it's siblings.  Joe knew he wanted a male and I am just thrilled to be getting a dog so gender didn't matter to me, and so that helped bring the choice down to the two males.  One was a pudge, with big paws and head, and the other one while not scrawny, was definitely smaller.  We asked the breeder, Al, which one he thought would be the best dog for us (knowing that we want strictly a pet and are not planning on breeding or showing).  He said that if he had to choose one to keep as a pet, it would be the smaller of the two.  He said that little puppy impresses him every feeding time by the way he latches onto the mom even though he's getting smooshed between bigger sisters and brother, he does not give up his spot.  Simply put, he has focus, and I guess tenacity.  Al thinks that will transfer over into his training and willingness to want to please us.  So, unless something were to dramatically change with his health or development... we'll be bringing him home sometime in mid-May.

So cute!

 

There was much discussion about the name...  Back when we were researching what breeds we thought would be compatible with our wants and needs, the German Shepherd came to the forefront straight away.  As Al has told us "they (German shepherds) are first in somethings, but second in everything", meaning that they are an extremely versatile dog - they pretty much do it all - hunt, swim, great with kids, protective, herd, agility courses, schitzhund, do well in snow, the list goes on.  Because of their temperament and intelligence, they can easily adapt to what you need them to do.  But I digress.  Joe really started liking the albino ones (too weird looking), or the all black ones that looked like wolves (too scary looking).  I was completely against both.  I kept having visions of the white dog rolling in the dirt and mud and looking gross and being a nightmare to keep clean.  So I struck a deal with Joe that as long as he agreed to get a German Shepherd that looks like a traditional one, he could choose the name.  He went through a lot!!  There were some real doozies.  Actually, it was a guy that used to be in Joe's group of high school guys that he led at church a few years back that came up with the name.  He was home on spring break, and came over to workout with Joe and have dinner with us.  He said that we should think of a German name for him.  He threw out "you should name him 'Blitz' from blitzkrieg, that would be really cool."  Blitzkkrieg means "lightning war".  And the name grew on us.  So thanks Andrew!!

So get used to this little face.  Because until little munchkins come, he and his antics will be getting a lot of air time on here!

A Little More Rome & Florence Photos

********This is rather long. Grab a cup of coffee or tea. Get cozy.*********

I realized that I hadn't shown any more of our amazing trip this summer...and I thought this was the easiest way to do it. We all need to give an extra round of applause to Joe for his skillz with the Sistine Chapel pictures - photography in there is a big no-no. So he had to nonchalantly stand with the camera at his hip, and snap away, and he got some great, non-blurry shots. Is he amazing or what? Also, I feel duty bound to tell you that the pictures of the "David" are of a copy, not the real one. The real one is in a tiny, tiny museum with about 6 security cameras aimed at it and many people monitoring it walking around it, enforcing the no picture rule. Joe wanted to try anyway, but I was scared they would take the camera or something. Which is too bad, because it is beautiful, immense, and looks like at any moment he's going to stride off the pedestal. Incredible. Be on the lookout the next couple days for a slide show of Venice. Pinky-swear promise!

East Coast VaCa (from, oh, two months ago)

So have I been the poster child for a bad blogger or what? You know it is bad when your husband sends you not so subtle hints that you should update your blog accompanied by sighs and stares.


Tsk, tsk.


Here's my feeble attempt to make up for my rudeness, because really, that is what it is. I've still been reading other's work, just not caring to contribute any of my own. Now, we have been swamped by a lot here recently, but I can't even really play that card when half the people that I read have at least one child if not more so you know they've got their hands full, and they faithfully find the time to keep me entertained. The cycle must stop! So follow me while I reminisce about our trek to Virginia and DC.


Jefferson's beautiful Monticello.

The real reason for the trip: Jerrod, Amanda, John and Tyler. We love them! It was so great to be able to spend time with them, see what their lives are like, and relax in their home. Thank you four so much for your warmth and hospitality. We can't wait to return the favor when you guys can make it out to Cali! I even got to meet some blogging pals too!! Candace and Kelly, thank you both so much. It meant a lot that you took time out of your very busy lives to come spend an evening with us! You both are as sweet, funny and warm as your writing portrays you to be.

Oh, sweet baby Tyler. I held him every single chance I got. What a happy little guy.

Mt. Vernon, Washington's home, was one of my favorite historical sights that we saw. Because we were there in the extreme off season, it was like it was open just for us. I could've sat out on the back porch for a long time. So peaceful and quiet looking onto the Potomac.

OK all you Ugg haters (my SIL Amy!), take note. I wore mine in the freezing snow, sock less, and this girl who always has cold feet and hands, had toasty warm toes. They are awesome, and I will use them forever. So there.

Some fun facts about Virginia: I had my first Chick-a-Fillet and Cracker Barrel experiences. They were tasty. The speed limit feels extremely slow. Most traffic seems to amble along at 40-45mph, verses the Bay Area's 80mph freeways. It drove Joe nuts at times. Also, road signage is very confusing. When we were heading to Lynchburg at one point we saw sings that told us we were on 129 South and (I think) 52 North at the same time. Not sure how, but we were. All in all, I really liked it.

Moving on to the DC portion... we stayed in the historic Foggy Bottom section which is about 5 blocks from the Georgetown area, and it was great!! Waaaaaayyyy too cold, and so I think to do DC justice we'll have to head back in the spring sometime. For instance, the last day there we had planned to do a open air bus tour so we could see all the monuments, and we woke up that morning to a raging snow and ice storm. There was a lot we missed. Owell. Reasons to head back, right?

I started noticing that most of the old churches have bright red doors. Love it!!

We were able to go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which obviously has a lot of meaning to us. It's nice to see those heroes honored.

Me and Rex getting friendly at the Smithsonian.

The Hope Diamond. Which was really sparkly.

This was the closest we got to it walking to dinner one night. On our way to the Old Ebbitt Grill, actually. I would love to go back - the flavor there is older, and you really get a sense of America's roots, which as a history person and lover of all things old, I connected with.

I'm already set to go back. As usual, travel only whets my appetite for more of it!